The poisoning of an Arabian leopard, an endangered species, by a
shepherd to protect his camel herd in Bawadi AlNoaman Village in Makkah
Al-Mukarramah, has shocked the Saudi National Wildlife Commission (SNWC) (Arab
News).

The shepherd Jbeir Al-Mutrefi (65 years) poisoned the camel carcass
after it was found killed by a predator, in the belief that a wolf or stray
dogs may have attacked the camel. Unfortunately, the predator turned out to be
an Arabian leopard which has not been seen for decades (Arab News).
The SNWC officials are questioning the shepherd besides launching a search for
other leopards in the area.
“No one has the right to poison any animal, endangered or otherwise. People
should contact us or any other authority and we will take the necessary
measures to protect both sides,” said Ahmed Al-Bouq, general manager of the SNWC.
“We are now at the site and investigating the case. We have installed infrared
cameras to see if there are more endangered animals in this area,” he said.
In this case, the shepherd found one of his camels killed by an animal. “He
chopped the camel and poisoned parts of its body thinking the predators could
be stray dogs. But sadly, it was an Arabian Leopard and the shepherd himself
was surprised when he came to know of this,” said Al-Bouq.
“The shepherd had no right to poison any animal. We call such acts blind
killing because he was not targeting a certain species but the whole circle of
life,” he added (Arab News).

Ahmed Al-Bouq confirmed that five Arabian
leopards were killed in the same manner in Madinah, Taif, and southern
provinces (Saudi Gazette).

According to Al-Bouq, the commission was working hard to save the
Arabian leopard from extinction through a three-pronged initiative. “One is the
captive breeding, working with around 10 leopards,” he said.
“The second measure involves research and study of wildlife by holding
workshops and researches to learn more about the Arabian leopard and looking at
ways and means to protect it. This also includes installing infra-red cameras
and night vision cameras to monitor them and their movements,” he added.
The third step is public awareness where the SNWC officials visit schools,
universities and other educational institutes to educate people and spread
awareness about this endangered animal (Arab News).

Al-Bouq stated the SNWC has launched a program to
conserve these animals at a cost of more than Saudi Riyal 7 million (Saudi
Gazette). The program has resulted in the birth of three
cubs that are now almost 10 months old. In addition, more than 70 cameras were
placed in areas where Arabian leopards are believed to live. He pointed out the center has been searching for
the past 20 years for live sightings of the leopards. Such sightings were made
eight years ago on the Yemeni borders and in other areas inside the Kingdom
(Saudi Gazette).

The Arabian Leopard is found in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, and the UAE,
and in smaller numbers in Jordan and Palestine (Arab News).

“The total population of Arabian leopard may be less than 200 in the
entire natural habitat, which is why we are trying our best to protect this
species from getting extinct,” said Al-Bouq (Arab News).

After examination of the
poisoned Arabian Leopard it was found that it was a 6-7 years old male (Akhbar
Al-Buldan).